1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of front drive wheel suspension for vehicles.
2. Prior Art
T3 Motion, Inc., assignee of the present invention, now manufactures and sells the three-wheeled battery operated vehicle shown in FIG. 1. The vehicle is operated standing up, with all of the controls necessary being accessible on the handlebars. The vehicle has found wide application for security purposes, as it typically can operate all day in a typical application on a single charge, both indoors such as in shopping centers and outdoors for policing such areas as parking lots, parking structures, beach areas and the like. The vehicle has found wide use for such purposes not only because of its efficiency (cost of operation), but also because the operator is elevated somewhat, so can see over people for a better view of the area.
In the prior art vehicles as shown in FIG. 1, the wheels are rigidly mounted, that is, the rear wheels are rigidly mounted to the frame of the vehicle and the front wheel, which is the drive wheel, is rigidly mounted to an unsprung steering post, as in a typical tricycle. However because of the functionality and practical appeal of the vehicles, the same are being used in environments not having a particularly smooth operating surface, such as by way of example, poorly maintained parking lots and the like where rigid mounting of the vehicle substantially affects performance. A front drive wheel suspension also reduces torque at steering shaft due to the movement of suspension system during initial acceleration. Since the front wheel is the drive wheel as well as the steering wheel, it is important that the wheel remain one the ground, so to speak, and not bounce when going over a rough surface. This could be accomplished by partial deflation of the tire, though this leads to higher rolling friction (less range of a battery operated vehicle), poorer steering characteristics and accelerated wear on the time.